We hope that ATP(All Things Pakistan) will be a blog about discussion, not rants.

Our aspiration is to indulge in a conversation with others — Pakistanis and non-Pakistanis — about Pakistan as a living, breathing, vibrant, vigorous, multi-dimensional, complex society. This is in direct retaliation to the dominant discourse on Pakistan that tends to be about various versions of ‘Pakistan–the cardboard cut-out’.

There is much to celebrate in Pakistan, but there are also serious problems. The purpose of ATP is to talk about the problems constructively and to celebrate enthusiastically that which deserves to be celebrated. To embrace Pakistan in all its dimensions — its politics, its culture, its minutia, its beauty, its warts, its potential, its pitfalls, its facial hair, its turbaned heads, its shuttlecock burqas, its jet-setting supermodels, its high-flying bankers, its rock bands, its qawalls, its poets, its street vendors, its swindling politicians, its scheming bureaucrats, its resolute people… in essence, all things Pakistani.

ATPis about ‘all things’ but it cannot be about ‘everything.’ There is always a choice about what to put in and what to focus on. ATP wants to be balanced but also eclectic. We will focus on things that are primarily about Pakistan, will do so from a primarily Pakistani perspective, but we will also try to talk about things that others are not talking about. This is not a ‘news blog’ that simply comments on the headlines of the day. There are plenty of those already. Our criteria is to find interesting topics, neglected topics, and pertinent topics about, you guessed it, all things Pakistan.